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Blog Archive (May 2016)

By GMWatch, Many mainstream media outlets have ignored the problem of the NAS's conflicts of interest, which even affect the authors of key studies relied on in the NAS report to claim GMO safety, writes Claire RobinsonThe National Academy of Sciences report on GM crops and foods says they’re safe to eat. But the report is compromised by the serious conflicts of interest... more

By Joel Currier, St. Louis post dispatch, A jury on Wednesday awarded $17.5 million in damages to three plaintiffs and assessed $29 million more in punitive damages against Monsanto and three other companies in a suit here alleging negligence in the production of PCBs.The 10-2 verdict in St. Louis Circuit Court ended a nearly-monthlong trial in one of a string of suits — some won by... more

By DetoxProject, Glyphosate, the most used herbicide in the World, has been found in the urine of 93% of the American public during a unique testing project that started in 2015.Glyphosate, labeled a ‘Probable human carcinogen’ by the World Health Organization’s cancer agency IARC in 2015, has now been revealed to be ubiquitous in the first ever comprehensive and... more

By SustainablePulse, Trade unions across Europe have joined the Great Glyphosate Rebellion by urging the European Union to take precautionary action on the use of glyphosate, the world’s most widely used herbicide.Glyphosate is the main active ingredient of the well-known product RoundUp, manufactured by the US agrochemical and biotechnology giant Monsanto.Although glyphosate... more

By SustainablePulse, The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN), Ecology Action Centre, Living Oceans Society and the Quebec network Vigilance OGM are expressing concerns over Health Canada’s approval of the world’s first genetically modified (GM) food animal, a GM Atlantic salmon, for human consumption.“Canadians could now be faced with the world’s first... more

By GMWatch, A biotechnologist* says the media are misrepresenting the National Academy of Sciences report when it comes to GMO food safetyThis week the Spanish newspaper El País published an article called "Science confirms that GMOs are as safe as other foods", commenting on the latest report by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), titled "Genetically engineered... more

By SustainablePulse, A decision on whether or not to re-approve the controversial toxic substance glyphosate for use in Europe was postponed Thursday for the second time, following disagreement among representatives of EU governments, as the Great Glyphosate Rebellion continues.A revised proposal by the European Commission to re-approve glyphosate for use in Europe for 9 more years... more

By Bloomberg, Bayer AG’s proposed mega deal to buy Monsanto Co. is likely to create a mega public relations challenge for the German company at home.Bayer faces a backlash against Germany’s biggest planned acquisition because of two products from the St. Louis-based company that are widely detested in the country: genetically modified seeds and the weedkiller Roundup, which uses... more

By SustainablePulse, Conflicts of interest have already plagued the newly released glyphosate risk assessment by the FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR), as the Guardian reported on Wednesday, however, the total irrelevance of the report to modern science and to Europe has now also come into focus.Irrelevant for Modern ScienceThe JMPR announced on Monday that... more

By Stacy Malkan, Nearly 90% of Americans say genetically engineered food should be labeled, with high support across all ages, races and political affiliations, according to a December 2015 Mellman Group poll. It’s hard to think of a political issue that shares such broad appeal. Belief in our right to know what’s in our food is as American as apple pie.Now, after a hard-... more

By SustainablePulse, A new National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report “Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects” released today recommends pre-market safety assessments of GMOs, and it cites consumers’ social and economic choices as issues that policymakers should consider when debating mandatory labeling for GMOs.Consumers Union,... more

By SustainablePulse, According to a statement last week by Beijing Food Safety Volunteers the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed to them that Monsanto’s RR2 Xtend GMO soybeans have not been approved for import, despite the company’s claims earlier in 2016.In February 2016, Monsanto told American farmers growing GMO Roundup Ready soybeans that China had... more

By SustainablePulse, The FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) released an assessment Monday, which concludes that the controversial weedkiller glyphosate is “unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans from exposure through the diet”.Source: www.greenpeace.orgThe finding contradicts an earlier assessment by the WHO’s International Agency for... more